Erectile dysfunction (ED) is sexual dysfunction characterized by the inability to develop or maintain firmness of the penis (an erection) during sexual performance.
A penile erection is the hydraulic effect of blood entering and being retained in sponge-like bodies within the penis. The process is often initiated as a result of sexual arousal, when signals are transmitted from the brain to nerves in the penis. Erectile dysfunction is indicated when an erection is difficult to produce. Endocrine, psychogenic, vascular, traumatic or iatrogenic origins are example of underlying causes of erectile dysfunction.
Erectile dysfunction is generally treated or managed via medication, external devices (e.g., penis pumps), or surgical implants. Surgical implants may be semi-rigid devices or inflatable devices. Semi-rigid devices range from permanently erect ones that cannot be altered to malleable ones that can be bent into position where appropriate. Some of the known implants consist of a pair of malleable rods surgically implanted within the erection chambers of the penis. With this type of implant the penis is always semi-rigid and merely needs to be lifted or adjusted into the desired position. Hydraulic, inflatable prosthesis also exist. These use fluid and are inflated or deflated on demand. Both inflatable and non-inflatable implants are implanted deep inside of penis corpus carvenosa.